Desk with slidable top

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to a desk assembly in which a support such as wall hung brackets mounts an open top bin in a desk top. The desk top is slidably fixed to the support through opposing Ushaped channels having ball bearings therebetween. The bin is supported beneath the desk top so as to permit access thereto by sliding the top between alternate positions.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,449,433 9/1948 Wheelock 2,568,147 9/1951 Fulton............... 1 3,039,838 6/1962 Koch,Jr.et 3,386,784 6/1968 Oppenhuizen et al. 3,433,548 3/1969 Moore..........................

Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg Attorney-Price, Heneveld, Huizenga & Cooper ABSTRACT: This disclosure relates to a desk assembl 0 United States Patent [72] inventors Robert L. Propst Ann Arbor; Peter J. Protzmann, Grand Rapids, Mich. [211 App]. No. 775,267 [22] Filed Nov. 13, 1968 [45] Patented Apr. 13, 1971 [73] Assignee Herman Miller Inc.

Zeeland, Mich.

[541 DESK WITH SLIDABLE TOP 1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figs.

y in which a support such as wall hung brackets mounts an open top bin in a desk top. The desk top is slidably fixed to the support through opposing U-shaped channels having ball bearings therebetween. The bin is supported beneath the desk top so as to permit access thereto by sliding the top between alternate positions.

PATENTED APR 1 31971 SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTORS ROBERT L. PROPST PETER J .PROTZMAN I I I f W ATTORNEYS PATENTEDAPM 31971 SHEET 2 OF 3,574,434 I INVENTORS ROBERT L. PROPST TER J PROTZMANN' A. BY E on 'f l DESK WITH SLIDABLE TOP This invention relates to a furniture construction and more specifically to a desk. In one of its aspects, the invention relates to a desk construction in which the desk top member is slidable on a support. I

In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a desk construction having an open top storage bin supported beneath a desk top which is slidable on a support relative to the bin so as to cover the bin in one position and to open the bin for access in a second position.

Cantilevered furniture has become a popular modern style. Most cantilevered units are hung from permanent or semipermanent wall structures.

In copending Ser. No. 736,857, filed .Iun. I3, 1968, there is disclosed and claimed a bracket which can be used to support a desk in cantilevered fashion from a wall or semipermanent wall structure. The brackets can be supported by vertical channels in the wall structure, which channels have hanger member with slots for engaging clips. The brackets are attached to clips having slot engaging members through which the bracket is fixed to the hanger members. The channelcontaining wall structure is described and claimed in copending Ser. No. 737,522, filed Jun. 17, I968, which, with Ser. No. 736,857, filed Jun. 13, 1968, is incorporated herein by reference.

One problem with cantilevered desk tops is that of providing storage for files and the like. If the files are mounted in conventional manner along side of the desk, the appearance is not as pleasing.

l have now discovered that storage units can be attractively incorporated into cantilevered desk structures by mounting an open top storage bin between the brackets at a back portion thereof and providing slide means between the desk top and the bracket support for access to the storage bin.

By various aspects of this invention, one or more of the following, or other objects, can be obtained.

It is an object of this invention to provide a cantilevered furniture construction with a storage bin incorporated as a favorable design feature.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a desk construction in which access to storage is provided by sliding the desk top on the support.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a desk construction with a slidable top, in which construction and efficient slide is concealed within the top.

Other aspects, objects, and the several advantages of this invention are apparent to one skilled in the art from a study of this disclosure, the drawings, and the appended claims.

According to the invention, there is provided a desk construction in which a desk top is slidably supported by a support means. Preferably, a bin, having an open top, is supported by the support means beneath the desk top and the desk top is slidable to cover the open bin in one position and slidable away from the open bin to permit access thereto in a second position. Slide means are fixed on the support. The desk top is fixed on the slide means. Preferably, at least a portion of the slide means is recessed within the bottom of the desk top and a desk slides in a front to back direction.

The slide means preferably comprises first and second U- shaped channels with the second U-shaped channel being in inverted relationship to the first. The U-shaped channels are sized so that one of the U-shaped channels fits within the other. Longitudinal grooves are formed in facing relationship in the sides of each U-shaped channel and bearing means are positioned within the groove through which bearing means the desk top is supported.

2-2 ofFlG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial view taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view like FIG. 1 showing the desk top pulled out to expose the top of the bin; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, a desk top 12 is supported by upright rails 14 and brackets 16. The brackets 16 are fixed to the rails 14 which are attached to a wall or partition. The rails 14 and the brackets 16 have been described in copending Ser. Nos. 737,522, filed Jun. I7, 1968 and 736,857, filed Jun. 13, I968 and will not be further described herein. The method of fixing the bracket 16 to the rails 14 is described in said copending Ser. No. 737,857. A bin I8 is supported beneath the desk top 12 at a top rear portion thereof. The bin 18 is exposed for access when the desk top is moved away from the wall and covered when the desk top is pushed close to the wall as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5.

The desk top 12 has a molding 20 around the outer edge thereof and has recessed channels 22 in a bottom surface. The desk top is supported by the brackets 16 through a support channel bracket 24 which fits tightly within the bracket 16. A hook 26 is formed on the rear edges of the support channel brackets 24 and slides beneath a horizontal .bar 27 on the bracket 16 to retain the support channel 24 within the bracket 16. A backplate- 28, fixed to the bracket 26, is provided to prevent the support channel bracket 24 from sliding within the bracket 16. This manner of supporting the channel bracket 24 within the bracket 16 has been described in more detail in said copending Ser. No. 736,857.

The desk top 12 is supported by the bracket 16 through a slide assembly which permits the desk top to slide away from and toward the wall. The slide assembly comprises a support plate 30, which is welded to the support channel bracket 24, an inner channel 32, welded to the support plate 30, and an inverted channel 34, which is fixed to the desk top 12 through screws 36. The inner channel 32 has outwardly facing longitudinal grooves 33 formed in the sidewall. The inverted channel 34 has downwardly extending legs 35 forming inwardly directed longitudinal grooves. Ball bearings 38 are positioned within the grooves formed in the channels 32 and 34. The desk top is therefore supported through the ball bearings and is slidable by means of the ball bearings. A transfer plate 40 is fixed to the desk top 12 through screws 41 and is positioned at an outer edge beneath the support plate 30 in sliding relationship thereto. As seen in FIG. 6, the channel 32 is longer than channel 34 and has upwardly bent ends 320 and 32b. The channel 34 has downwardly bent ends 34a and 34b which strike ends 320 and 34b as the slide reaches the ends of the movement in each direction. The combination of ends 32a, 32b, 34a and 34b forms stop means for the slide.

An angle bar support 42 is fixed to the support plate 30 for supporting the bin 18.

The bin 18 comprises a front panel member 44, a back panel member 58, and end panel members 80. The back panel member 44 has a horizontal bottom flange 45 and a forwardly extending top portion 46 which is bent downwardly at 47 at a front portion thereof. Rearwardly extending flanges 48 are formed at the side of the front panel member 44 and downwardly directed flanges 50 are formed at the sides of the forwardly extending top portion 46. Elongated holes 56 are provided at the top portion of the front panel member 44.

The back panel member 58 is bent over at a top portion 60 and contains a forwardly directed flange S2 at the sides thereof. A forwardly directed bottom portion 64 of the back panel 58 forms the bottom of the bin. Upwardly directed flanges 66 are formed at the sides of the bottom portion 64.

The end panels comprises solid core panels having a molding strip 82 around the outside edge.

The front panel member 44 is bolted to the angle bar support 42 through the downwardly directed flanges 50 and bolts 54. The front panel member 44 is fixed to the end panels 80 through rearwardly directed flanges 48 and screws 52 which extend into the end panels 80 (FIG. 4). The back panel 58 is fixed to the front panel member 44 through rivets 68 which clamp together the horizontal bottom flange 45 and the forwardly directed bottom portions 64. The back panel 58 is fixed to the end panel 80 through screws 70 which extend through flanges 62 and into the end panels 80.

File support bars 72 having slots 73 are positioned at one end in the elongated holes 56 and at the other end on top of back panel 58. Hanging file folders 74 are supported by the file support bars 72 in a conventional manner. For example, the hanging file folders 74 can have outwardly extending pins which extend over the top of the file support bars 72.

Whereas the invention has been described with respect to a particular embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention can take other forms. For example, the brackets need not be fixed to rails but can be fixed through conventional means to a wall.

The invention thus provides a favorably designed cantilevered desk construction in which a storage bin is provided at a rear portion of the desk. The design is further enhanced by the recessed slide means between the desk top and its support.

Reasonable variation and modification are possible within the scope of the foregoing disclosure, the drawings, and the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

l. A desk construction having a support means, a fixed vertical support member, a desk top slidably mounted on said support means and a storage element beneath said desk top, the improvement in said desk comprising: said support means having a pair of spaced brackets rigidly secured to said vertical support member; said storage element being an elongated frame forming a compartment open only at the top; said storage element being mounted on and suspended between said brackets in fixed position adjacent the vertical support member; a pair of tracks, one supported on each of said brackets; said desk top being a platform mounted on said tracks and movable thereon from a closed position over the open top of said storage element to an extended position extending beyond the ends of said brackets and cantilevered therefrom to expose the open top of said storage element; said tracks each having means between the desk top and the brackets holding said desk top parallel to the top of said brackets in both closed and extended positions under downwardly acting loads imposed thereon; said desk top forming the exposed top surface of said desk in both closed and extended positions. 

1. A desk construction having a support means, a fixed vertical support member, a desk top slidably mounted on said support means and a storage element beneath said desk top, the improvement in said desk comprising: said support means having a pair of spaced brackets rigidly secured to said vertical support member; said storage element being an elongated frame forming a compartment open only at the top; said storage element being mounted on and suspended between said brackets in fixed position adjacent the vertical support member; a pair of tracks, one supported on each of said brackets; said desk top being a platform mounted on said tracks and movable thereon from a closed position over the open top of said storage element to an extended position extending beyond the ends of said brackets and cantilevered therefrom to expose the open top of said storage element; said tracks each having means between the desk top and the brackets holding said desk top parallel to the top of said brackets in both closed and extended positions under downwardly acting loads imposed thereon; said desk top forming the exposed top surface of said desk in both closed and extended positions. 